There is an ever-increasing interest among consumers in food products which contain less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. Such products are useful in controlling body weight and reducing the risk of heart and artery disease.
Traditional full-fat cheese products which contain inherent butterfat generally contain from about 15% to about 35% fat, from about 50 mg to about 100 mg cholesterol per 100 g, and from about 300 to about 400 calories per 100 g. Because of this high fat and calorie content, there has long been a significant need for cheese analogs which have a substantially reduced fat and reduced calorie content and yet which provide the gustatory and physical properties of conventional butterfat-containing cheese analogs.
For many years, synthetic cheese analogs have been made wherein the butterfat traditionally present in full-fat cheese was replaced with an alternative, less expensive, animal or vegetable fat. This practice became widespread in the early 1940's when advances in processing technology surfaced in, for example, the areas of homogenization and fluid blending. In almost all cases, the synthetic cheeses are offered at lower cost, which was probably the most important single factor in the initial acceptance of synthetic dairy foods. Another beneficial aspect of synthetic cheese analogs is the fact that many such products can be produced with an almost unlimited shelf life. Recently, however, with the public's increased awareness of the dangers of cholesterol found in animal fats, synthetic cheese analogs wherein the butterfat is replaced with a vegetable fat have gained increased popularity. The term "animal fats" as used herein encompasses the fats derived from dairy, fish, or meat sources.
Synthetic cheeses are made utilizing as a protein source either aged or non-aged low-fat cheese, vegetable-derived protein such as soy or soy isolate, or commercially available dry-powdered protein derived from fresh, whole or skim milk, buttermilk, or cream such as, for example, sodium calcium caseinate. Synthetic cheese products using proteinaceous materials derived from vegetable sources are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,533 to Kratchovil (assigned to Kraft, Inc.), issued Aug. 4, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,676 to Ishizuka et al. (assigned to Taiyo Yushi K.K.), issued July 7, 1987; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,606 to Seiden (assigned to The Proctor & Gamble Company), issued Apr. 23, 1974, all incorporated herein by reference. Synthetic cheese products made from a commercially available dry-powdered protein derived from fresh whole milk are described in the following patents, all incorporated by reference herein: Canadian Patent 952,761 to Roe (assigned to PVO International, Inc.), issued Aug. 13, 1974; U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,891 to Kasik et al. (assigned to Beatrice Foods), issued Mar. 2, 1976; U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,322 to Middleton (assigned to Universal Foods), issued Apr. 8, 1980; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,926 to Galal et al. (assigned to Borden), issued Aug. 9, 1983. Finally, conventional synthetic cheese utilizing skim milk cheese, a non-aged low-fat cheese, the protein source preferred for use in the present invention, is described in U.S. 2,604,405 to Petersen, issued Jan. 6, 1980, herein incorporated by reference.
The edible vegetable triglycerides used in the above-described synthetic cheese analogs to simulate the butterfat inherently contained in traditional full-fat natural aged cheese are more healthy for human consumption than butterfat or animal fat, particularly because these fats are higher in unsaturates and contain no cholesterol. However, there is no reduction in calories because, gram-for-gram, these two types of fats are of equivalent caloric content.
The present invention provides a simulated cheese analog which retains the desirable reduction in animal fat and cholesterol yet adds the additional benefit of a reduction in calories. The fatty properties inherently supplied in traditional full-fat cheese by butterfat and, conventionally, in synthetic cheese by animal or, preferably, vegetable, fat will be supplied by a fatty substance which contains low-calorie fatty materials which are non-digestible, partially digestible, or are lower in net caloric efficiency as compared to regular fat. These simulated cheese analogs are equivalent to traditional full-fat cheese and conventional synthetic cheese regarding protein, vitamin and mineral content and have acceptable flavor, body and texture resembling that of traditional full-fat cheese. In addition, the simulated cheese analogs of the present invention exhibit a caloric reduction not present in traditional butterfat-containing, full-fat cheese or in conventional synthetic cheese analogs wherein the natural inherent butterfat is replaced with digestible animal and/or vegetable oil and/or shortening.
It is therefore an object of this invention to create simulated cheese analogs that yield as much as a 40% reduction in calories, a 50% reduction in animal fat and saturated fat, and a 90% reduction in cholesterol as compared to traditional full-fat cheese.
It is another object of this invention to obtain the reduction in animal fat and cholesterol exhibited by synthetic cheese analogs wherein the butterfat has been replaced by vegetable fat, and at the same time obtain a reduction in calories.
It is an additional object of this invention to produce low-calorie simulated cheese analogs which are nutritionally equivalent to full-fat cheese in regard to protein, vitamins and mineral content and which exhibit flavor, body, and texture resembling that of full-fat cheese.
It is a further object of this invention to produce a variety of low-calorie simulated cheese analogs including, but not limited to Cheddar, American, Colby, Emmentaler, Limberger, Camembert, Guyere, Gouda, Edam, Cream, Tilsit, Trappist, Fontina, Provolone, Kaschkavall, Samso, Danbo, Maribo, and Fynbo.
These and other objects of the invention will become clear by the disclosure herein.
All percentages and ratios are by weight unless otherwise indicated.